Mamelodi Sundowns and Chippa United played out to a goalless stalemate at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. The match resumed from the 42nd minute following power failure that led to the abandonment of the match on Tuesday evening.
However, both clubs could not come to a common consensus on when to resume the fixture, leaving the decision to the Premier Soccer League (PSL). The decision was made to resume the game at 10am on Wednesday.
Chippa United hoped for a better response as their first half performance on Tuesday night saw them hardly test the Mamelodi Sundowns defence.
Chippa’s only chance on goal came from Andile Mbenyane's shot which was well saved by Masandawana keeper, Wayne Sandilands.
Pitso Mosimane’s men were also hoping for an improved performance and a spot at the summit of the log.
For their dominance in possession, they only tested Daniel Akpeyi once. Hlompho Kekana’s header may have taken the Nigerian goalkeeper by surprise, but he did enough to ensure the score remained level.
The match got underway to a tentative start as both teams were content to complete the remaining minutes of the first half. The teams went into the interval with the score unchanged.
Sundowns started the second half the brighter of the two sides.
Percy Tau had a great chance to open the scoring after superb work down the wing by fullback Fares Hachi, but the 22-year-old’s shot went well wide of Akpeyi’s goal.
The early kick-off seemed to affect Chippa’s usually game.
The Brazilians continuously bombarded the Chippa box, but did little to threaten their goal.
With the likes of Khama Billiat and Anthony Laffor missing through injuries, Sundowns relied on Sibusiso Vilakazi and Yannick Zakri to fill the void.
The duo looked menacing but the Chippa defence remained resolute.
Sundowns coach Mosimane felt the need for a changed and replaced the duo, bringing on Teko Modise and Asavela Mbekile respectively.
The match had become a dreary affair with goalmouth action seemingly hard to come by.
This was until substitute Leonardo Castro’s low drive brought a good save out of Akpyei late in the game.
In response, the Eastern Cape-outfit finally troubled Sandilands in the Sundowns goal, but the 33-year-old parried the ball away from danger.
Ultimately, the match ended in a goalless draw as neither team could find the back of the net.
